When a bloom withers
by Dr. techno
Summary: Applebloom gets sick, deadly sick and it seems to be no cure. Applejack blames herself and ends up trying to drown her sorrows in alcohol, but help can come from the strangest places when you're desperate. Commissioned by Ponylover and proofread by Daemon67.


**- ****When a bloom withers**** -**

You come trotting through the deep snow between the naked apple tree on your way to the Cutie Mark Crusader's clubhouse. Apple Bloom had rushed out early to meet up with her friends in the hut, but now the sky was blue from the lack of sun and it would soon be dark. You held an oil lamp your hand as you reached the clubhouse and hear the three girls talking loudly inside.

"Hey, what's all the fuzz-up about?" you said as you entered.

"No, don't open the door!" Scootaloo screamed, but it was too late. Something buzzed past your left ear and disappeared into the night. "Son of Nightmare Moon, we just lost our new cutie marks."

"Scootaloo, don't swear," you said strictly. "What in tarnation are you three up to?"

"We found this bee hive in the clubhouse so we thought our cutie marks might be something about beekeeping," Sweetie Belle said. "But then a bee woke up and stung Apple Bloom. We tried to catch it again, but then you came and it flew out." Apple Bloom was sitting with her right hand under her other arm to try to ease the pain.

"You shouldn't be messing with sleeping bees ya know." You take her hand in yours and saw a swollen red pump in the palm. "Looks like a normal stick, we just try to put some ice on it and see if it gets better. You too should start heading home as well, it's getting late. Come on Sugarcube, we got a big day tomorrow with Winter wrap-up."

"Okay AJ. Bye girls, see ya later," she waved to her friends as you headed home, and she stuck her stung hand in one pocket. "You know, that bee was pretty special. It had green stripes and red wings."

"A green bee with red wings?" you laughed. "You must be really tired sweetie, I've never heard of that kind of bee in my whole life."

"But Ah saw it, what do you think stung me?"

"Probably a normal bee that got irritated when you woke it."

You got back to the farmyard as the stars started appearing all over the night sky. After giving her an evening meal and wrapping the stung hand in a wet bandage, you tuck her little sister into bed.

"Now you get a good night's sleep, we got a lot of work tomorrow."

"Ah know," she yawned. "Ah love you big sis, not like Spike to Rarity, you know what Ah mean."

"Ah know," you smiled, a bit concerned of what she might have heard about the green hair's relationship with your fashionable friend. "Good night."

"Nighty, night." She snuggled under the thick blanket and you turned off the light.

The next morning you woke up early and noticed Big Mac was already out working. You went downstairs to see a bowl of pancakes mix standing on the counter so you started frying a bunch for you and Apple Bloom. She came stumbling down the stairs all sleepy-eyed. She slumped down in the chair and didn't move when you placed a plate of perfect pancakes with butter and maple syrup in front of her.

"Morning sunshine, time to rub the sleep out of your eyes and wake up." You took your own plate of breakfast and sat down on the other side of the table.

"Very giddy we were so early on the day," she mumbled and looks tired over at you.

"Early? This is a perfectly normal time to wake up, Ah even given you half an hour longer sleeping time than usual. Did you read that book after bedtime again?"

"No, it's been down here all night, look." She pointed at her book in the bookshelf.

"Okay then, just eat your breakfast and we will get on with today's work. Big Mac is already out there plowing the snow so you will help me taking the road from the gate, 'kay?"

"Fine." She stuck her fork into the heap of pancakes and started eating.

You eat your food in silence and you saw she who normally ate six of them only ate four before putting down her fork.

"How's that sting going?" you ask between mouthfuls. "Gotten better?"

"It itches now and Ah'm cold, but otherwise Ah think Ah'm fine."

"Well, it's pretty chilly out so you better put on a warm scarf and some good pair of boots because if you won't eat more, we might as well get to work."

You cleaned off the table and go to get dressed for the cold weather outside. Apple Bloom put on her blue winter boots, a thick scarf Granny Smith had made for her, a red jacket and a purple cap. You put on your brown cowboy hat, a brown jacket with your cutie mark on the shoulder and an orange scarf. You tightened Apple Bloom's scarf since she had done a sloppy job putting it on. You walk outside to the sharp sunlight that reflected in the white, clean snow and blinded you for a short second.

You went and got the snowplow for you and her in the shed. You start down by the fenced gate and sat her to go from the house. Normally she would do her best to try to meet you on the middle, but this time she only got halfway before stopping.

"You okay there Sugarcube? You look a bit pale." You stop plowing.

"Yeah, just a bit tired." She breathed. "And still cold."

"Tired? We only have a fifth of the way left. You normally don't complain before we get done with the second road." You went over to her and felt her forehead, but quickly pulled it back. "Sweetie, you're burning up. Let me see your hand," you said, concerned.

She pulled her hand out of the glove and showed it to you and you gasped. What had been a normal red sting had now gotten bigger and turned blue. Apple Bloom started blinking and cold-sweating underneath the thick scarf and it looked like she was about to faint.

"I-is anything wrong?" She mumbled.

"To the honest, yes. You better get on my back, I'll carry you back to the house." You put her on back as you run to the house again with a limp Apple Bloom.

You got her back inside and laid her on the couch as Big Mac came in as well since he had seen what happened. It took a second to explain what had happened and he hurried to the phone and rang up the hospital while you sat and tried to nurse her the little you could.

"The doctor said to bring her over," Big Mac said as he finished the call.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's go. Don't worry sweetie, you'll be all right." You stroked her red hair as she began breathing heavily.

You got her into the farm's truck and drove as fast as they could to the hospital on the icy road. The tires screeched as you reached the hospital where they quickly brought Apple Bloom into observation. You and Big Mac sat and waited in the entrance hall for an answer or an explanation for what's wrong with your younger sister, but you can't manage sitting still so started trotting immanently back and fourth. The doctor comes out and you nearly jumped him.

"I guess you're the family of the filly that just came in," he said as he tried to loosen her grip on his white coat.

"Yes, how is she?" You ask, your patient thinner than thread to know what was wrong with your sister.

"To be honest, we don't really know. She has what seems like an allergic reaction to a bee sting, but it doesn't explain her cold-sweat or rising temperature. Has she eaten anything strange lately?"

"No, nothing she doesn't eat normally and she hasn't been allergic to bee stings before."

"Is it possible to see her?" Big Mac asked.

"You may, but she is currently asleep. We had to comatose her since she almost burned up. They placed her in room 203, it's down that corridor and to the left." You hurry down the way the orange-haired man pointed. "No running in the hallway!" he yelled after you, but you just ignored him.

You found the room and entered as a white nurse bent over Apple Bloom who was hooked up to a heart monitor that beeped regularly. Her breathing was normal again, but it hissed as her chest raised and her bad hand was wrapped in fresh bandages. You sat down on one side with your brother stood beside you and you just looked at your sleeping sister.

"Ah should have known," you said to herself. "Ah should have seen it when she came down for breakfast, she was completely out of it and barely ate anything."

"Don't blame yourself," he said and placed a hand on your shoulder.

"Ah know, but it feels like Ah should have known since she was much paler than usual." You put your hands around hers and squeezed lightly. "Ah just wished Ah hadn't dragged her out today."

The next four days you stayed at the hospital to watch over your sister, who only seems to get worse as the days passed. The doctors tried anything from antibiotics to cough medicine, but nothing seemed to work. She had gotten a sickly pale, almost white with blood-shot eyes. Most of her class had visited her with a group-signed card to her, even Diamond tiara and Silver spoon had signed it with a 'get better soon' greeting. Big Mac had also brought Granny Smith out from time to time and a few other close family members, but had to go home to check on the farm as Twilight arrived. You had called on her to see if she might find out what was wrong with her with magic that the doctors might had overseen.

"I'm really sorry AJ, I really am, but I can't find any disease that has all these symptoms. It will take time to find something that might help her and time is one thing we don't have enough of."

"Come on Twi, don't say it like that. You make it sound like she'll..." You paused as your friend looked away since she couldn't face you with what she was about to tell you.

"She has about three days, maybe less. I know how hard this-"

"No, you don't," you said, trying to keep your voice steady but you got betrayed by an uncontrollable trembling as tears start pressing on. "You're telling me my sister just have a few days left before.. oh sweet Celestia." You couldn't hold it back anymore and the tears started flowing.

Twilight tried to comfort you, but you shook her off.

"Ah... Ah need some time to take this in," you finally sniffled. "Could you look after her for me until Big Mac comes back?"

"What, you're going? What are you-"

"Dammit Twilight, I have been going around here for four days worrying to no end because we couldn't get any real verdict on her. Now you come here and tell me she's gonna die soon. This is too much for me, I need a drink!"

"A drink? You barely touch the alcohol-free beer as it is."

"This situation is enough to make anyone an alcoholic." You lowered your hat and walked out, leaving Twilight with your sick sister.

You go outside and went to the first bar you found. 'The apple core.' The place was mostly empty with a couple of people on each table and you sit down by the bar itself and order one of the stronger liquor types they had. About half an hour later Big Mac comes bursting in to find you sitting on the bar with your glass and a face that said your world was crumbling around her.

"Hey AJ." Big Mac took the seat next to you.

"Don't say anything," you mutter, staring into your drink like it was the only thing left you could hold on to. "You've probably heard what will happen to her?"

"Eeyup."

"Ah told her Ah needed some time to think for myself and yet here you are. If you expect me to come back with you, you're wrong."

"You're not giving up on her are you?" he asked, worried.

"What can Ah do Big Mac? I'm losing her and it's all my fault." You took a swig of your glass.

"Don't say that, of course it's not your fault. I know how much you love her. Granny and I love her just as much, but sitting here isn't gonna help anyone. Come on, let's get back to her." He grabbed your hand, but you pulled it back.

"I said no, I'm not ready to face her yet. I'm not prepared to go back and tell her that she wouldn't get better, that there is no cure and that she will..." You stopped mid-sentence and turned away. "Just leave already."

"No AJ, you-"

"LEAVE!" You suddenly shout. "Are you really so thick-headed that you don't understand I want to be left the fuck alone?!"

You gave him a burning stare as you started to tear up until he sighed in defeat and got off the chair. You continued to stare him down until he left the bar. You snort irritated, wiped your eyes and emptied your glass for the fourth time that evening.

"You got a bit of family trouble?" A guy with a orange hoodie and brown hair took the seat Big Mac just had left. His hoodie had three horse shoes on the chest and you remember through your drunken haze his name as Caramel.

"Why do you care?" You mutter.

"Because I can't stand seeing a pretty mare like you destroying her liver, at least not alone. Give me what she's having."

"You can't handle this," you smirk. "This is a special Apple Archer Cider, one of the strongest apple ciders out there. You're welcome to try if you think you're pony enough."

A glass got placed in front of Caramel and filled along with yours.

"You might not remember me, I'm Applejack."

"Applejack?" he said, shocked. "I didn't recognize you, I'm so used to see you smiling. I never expected you to be a drinker."

"Only when Ah'm desperate," you said and took a gulp of your newly filled drink.

"Then I guess you have lost all hope as much as you are drinking."

He tried to do the same as her, but ended up coughing almost half of it up again. You laughed at him as he kept on coughing. It felt like an eternity since you could have smiled so sincerely to anyone and it helps you forget some of the sorrow the alcohol hadn't taken.

"Ah said you couldn't take it, dummy."

"God dam, that was strong." He whistled and tried again.

"Hey be careful, that stuff can burn through your throat."

"Well I don't intend to be a worse drinker than a mare." He grimaced as he managed to swallow the fire-water.

"Are you trying to say you're too big of a stallion for me?" you said warningly. "I'll tell you that you're probably just a little jumper compared to the guys I have had."

"What, I never-" You interrupted him by planting a kiss on his mouth.

Maybe it was the liquor taking affect, but right now you just wanted to forget your sadness for the night and spend it with this man. You wanted to throw your worries away if just for a while and get the feeling of living back.

He tenses up for a second by the sudden kiss, but relax quickly and returned it. His mouth tasted of the cider he just drank, but also something sweet. You back off and you just stare at him to see what he would do next.

"That was a bit unexpected," he said.

"Well, someone had to make the first move eventually. Now did you just want a drinking buddy or where you actually going somewhere with that flirting?"

"Yeah, this is just a bit too sudden."

"I rather get straight to it than play the whole dating game leading to it."

"If that's the way you want it. Let's go back to my place." You finished your drinks and left the place.

"I gotta say, you have a nice place here Caramel." You looked around his living room as he closed the door behind you. You heard him coming up behind behind you so you decided to pull your shirt off, giving him a nice view of your tanned back you worked up the hot summer.

"Th- thanks, I've done the best I could." You see the blood rush to his head as you turn and let him admire your bust.

"You're staring, honey." You look at him and he snaps out of his fixated look on your breasts. "Don't lie, you wanna see these bounce, don't ya?" You do a small jump to make them jiggle.

"Not yet." He puts his hands on your cheeks. "I want to see more of your beautiful face first." He locked his lips with yours in a passionate kiss.

It was a very passionate kiss and he pressed his tongue against your lips and you let him enter only to slip yours into his mouth. You moaned in passion as your tongues twirled around each other and he began pushing you backward until you bump into the couch. He kept on pushing you back so you had to sit down in the soft double seater and he sat on your lap, a bit reversed but you don't mind. You broke the kiss as you feel something hard pressing against your stomach and you see Caramel's pants bulging from his erecting penis.

"My oh my, you might not be as little as I thought." You move your hands from his face to his zipper and released his stiff member and slowly started to stoke him. "How long it this thing anyway?"

"Five point two inches," he grinned and threw off his clothes.

"You've been measuring it? You're such a perv. Well, I'll let you in on a little secret; this is my first time with someone else." He got a perplex look from the comment.

"Really? I thought you said you had been with bigger guys than me."

"A white lie, now bring that hunk up here so I can get a good look at it."

He inched his way further onto the sofa, putting his throbbing cock in front of your nose. You grabbed it and began stoking it slowly up and down its length before suddenly gasping over the head. He tensed up as he felt your tongue rolling around the tip of his penis. You smiled at his small muscle spasmed and started easing more of his member in your mouth while moaning passionately.

You manage to get almost the whole thing in when you feel it reaching the back of your throat, but it didn't seem like he was satisfied with almost. He grabbed the back of her head and thrusted the rest inside, pressing your forehead against his stomach. Your eyes widened in surprise by the sudden thrust, but you didn't fight it since you knew struggling would just make you cough. He started to pull it out before shoving it in again, not so roughly this time. As he kept on pumping it in and out of your mouth faster and faster, you slip your hands down your jeans and began rubbing your moist slit.

"Oh sweet Celestia, you're awesome at this AJ," he grunted. "You're too good for me, I'm coming." Caramel drove his pulsing rod down your throat and held it there as he shot strings of sticky semen down your throat. You gagged at the outburst and tried as best you could to swallow it all. "You sure this is your first time?" He panted and realized it might be difficult for you to answer so he pulled it out.

"Quite sure," you gasp as you were finally able to breathe properly. "Did you really have to choke me with that thing?"

"Sorry, I got a bit too excited," he apologized.

"Well now it's my turn to take the lead." You manage to flip him over from his kneeling position to laying on his back with you on top and her pants around her ankles. "Let's see what this stallion cock of yours can do."

You rubbed your wet love lips against the underside of his softening shaft which stiffened up again from the sexual tension. You moaned in pleasure and leaned down so your nose touched his as you placed the head of his member on your soaked entrance. You start to go slowly, but as soon the head past your outer lips, you slammed down and took the whole length inside. You cried out as a jolt of ecstasy shots through you as his rod broke your hymen you only had touched with your toys. A small stream of blood ran down his shaft, but you don't let that stop you from continuing. You raised your hips halfway up his shaft before sitting back down on it again and letting out another pleasure-filled cry. Your rhythm started picking up as he takes a hold on your waist and met your hips with upwards thrusts, drilling his manhood deeper inside you. He slid his fingers up your body to your breasts and pushed the bra over them and start massaging them a bit rough, but it felt amazing.

"Oh yeah, fuck me Caramel! The feeling of your thick cock inside me is too much! I'm getting clo- hmfft!" You cries got muffled by Caramel locking his mouth to yours in another deep kiss.

"Me too," he panted. "Where do you want it?"

"Inside me. Trust me, I'm safe, just let it loose."

He clanged around your back as his member started twitching and your inner walls clenching it hard. He couldn't hold it back anymore and released his second round of sperm inside you, sending you over the edge as well as you clamp down on him and buck uncontrollably in your own orgasm. Caramel filled your cunt quickly until it overflowed and the seed leaked out onto his balls. You stood suspended for a minute before finally relaxing, and you laid on his bare chest as your breathing slowed down to normal.

"Gotta hand it to ya, I only get this worn out after a day in the fields." You placed her hands under your shin and stared with sleepy eyes into his which looked just as tired look.

"Glad I was able to please you. You know, you have a lovely pair of green eyes."

"You've gotten me in bed already, you can stop trying to charm me."

"What if I'm not trying to charm you and I really think you are the prettiest girl I have met?" He stroked a hand through her hay-yellow hair.

"Well you're a very handsome guy so it might work," you mumbled before slipped into a deep sleep.

You woke up the next day with a mouth drier than the summer wind and a headache strong enough to cleave an apple in two. The last thing you remembered was that you had gone to the bar, Big Mac came in to get you back to the hospital, but you had refused. Someone had approached you and... oh dear Celestia, you opened her eyes and looked around. You were on a couch with a blanket over you, but you couldn't see the boy you had arrived with as he came out from the kitchen.

"Morning sunshine, slept well?"

You jumped up and quickly covered yourself with the blanket and pulled your clothes with you. A small pain tingled between your legs as a reminder of what happened last night.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry for yesterday! Ah was drunk and didn't really know what Ah was doing. I'm not really like that at all. I'll just be on my way." You quickly pulled your clothes back on and was about to leave, but Caramel reached the door before you.

"Hold your horses there Missy, I know we both were pretty out there, but believe me when I say I meant every word I say and I honestly love you. I know I'm going very forward here, but trust me when I say my feeling are true." He took a step forward and you one back.

"Please Caramel, you starting to scare me. You are a cute guy and all, but I have to be somewhere."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." He stepped aside to allow you to leave. "If it's not much trouble, could I come with you to where ever you're going?"

"Well... it's kind of a personal family matter, but Ah guess it wouldn't hurt." You left his house together, you still a bit iffy about Caramel. You walked without a word and had almost gotten back to the hospital when he broke the silence.

"So what is this family business all about? I know you're a farmer, but the fields are the other way."

"Ma sister Apple Bloom is ill, very ill and yesterday I was told there was no cure for her disease and that she only have a few days left alive. The news was too much for me so I went to the bar where I met you."

"Oh I'm so sorry for you, me coming along can't really make it any easier for you."

"What's done is done and you coming with me wouldn't do any harm."

You reached the hospital and went to room 203 where Apple Bloom was still lying in the bed. She seemed to be sleeping, but there was something wrong with her. She suddenly realized her chest didn't raise or sing and the normal beeping from the heart monitor.

You heart stopped mid beat in shock before you finally managed to move again and you ran over to her in two leaps. You grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her, but her head just wobbled like on a doll. You pull yourself enough to remember CPR so you put your hands on her chest and start pumping.

Thoughts of regret shots through your head, regret of ever leaving her bedside, regret of wasting her last moments by fooling around at a bar and meeting Caramel. You count 27 when Apple Bloom suddenly throws her eyes open and gasps deeply as she woke up from her limbo. Caramel came back with a doctor. You first now noticed she's no longer hocked up to the monitor which would explain why no one had seen her blackout. You hug her tightly and shed a tear in relief that it still wasn't too late to spend just a little more time with her.

"Hey AJ, where were you last night?" She whispers, seemingly unaware of what had happened to her.

"Out with this pony." You wiped your eyes and pointed towards Caramel as he smiled to the sick girl. "If Ah was Rarity, he would be Spike." His smiled faded somewhat at the inside joke he clearly didn't get. She tried to giggle at it, but ended up just coughing and you sat down beside her on her bed. "How are you feeling dear?"

"Afraid. Big Mac told me what Twi found out. Was that why you didn't come back, because you didn't want to tell me?"

"Yeah, I was too much of a coward to dare to tell you it." You took your sister's good hand in yours. "You're cold dear." Apple Bloom suddenly started crying and tears ran down her face.

"I don't wanna die AJ, Ah don't wanna leave you or Big Mac or Granny Smith and I don't wanna go without a cutie mark."

That was the drop that filled the cup for you too and you hugged her tightly, letting your tears flow again. After minutes of heartbreaking crying she started to calm down again and you wiped your tears. You stroked her over her forehead to calm her down as her sobbing until she fell asleep again, something she had been doing more and more and every time you had been afraid she wouldn't wake up, now more than ever.

Caramel looked at the things lying on the table beside her bed. It was cards with wishes for her to get better soon, some empty cups, crayons and papers she had been drawing on. He flipped through them and saw one with her, AJ, a big red stallion and an old, lime-green mare standing by a barn. Another one with her and AJ surrounded by a heart and the text 'Best Sister Ever.' The third was a picture of a bee with black and green stripes and red wings. 'Stupid bee' was written all around it in black crayon.

"AJ, has she been stung by any bees who looked like this?" He showed you the pictures.

"Yeah, she said a bee like that stung her after she and some friends messed around with a bee hive, but bees like that doesn't exist."

He seemed to get an idea. "Tell me, has she been extremely warm, but claiming she was cold and that her sting swollen like it was an allergic reaction?"

"That's right, how did you know?"

"Because that what happens to ponies stung by Siberian bees, very uncommon here in Equestria. A friend and I were over there once and he got stung by one." You allowed yourself to feel hope raise in your chest.

"What happened to him, how did he get better?" You asked desperate.

"He was at the brink of death, just as her, when they had to feed him squashed bananas. A few days later he started feeling better."

"Bananas? You sure, you absolutely sure?" It sounded like a horrible joke, but he clearly understood the urgency of it all.

"As sure as my mark is three horse shoes."

"Oh thank you Caramel, thank you so much." You gave him a kiss on the mouth. A tear ran down your face, but this time is was tears of happiness and relief. "You don't know how much this means to me. If this works, I'll give you a date." You ran off to pass on the information to the doctor who just left.

The following days was filled with suspense as they fed her the smashed, light-yellow fruit and just monitored her. Three days passed, but she was still alive, in fact she started to get back her normal fresh color. Two days after that the red in her eyes began fading and the stung hand had calmed down and two weeks later she was good enough to leave bed. You stayed by her as she recovered and Caramel came in from time to time to see how she was doing. Of course Big Mac wasn't very pleased when he got word of how you had met him, but he was more acceptable to him when he heard how he had found the cure for Apple Bloom.

The day she got written out, you, Big Mac and Caramel waited for her in the waiting hall when she comes running out just as she had done when she had ran out to meet her friends in the clubhouse for what seemed like so long ago.

"Hey AJ, boy am I glad to see you someplace else than beside my bed." She hugged you, her arms wrapping around your stomach and you place a hand on her head.

"Me too sweetie," you smiled. "Me too."

"What about me, you little apple head?" Big Mac picked her up from behind and placed her on his wide shoulders.

"I'm glad to see you too, you big brute." She laughed and rubbed her knuckle into his head.

You look at the two chuckling like nothing had happened at all as Caramel comes up beside you and folds his fingers into yours.

_'Well, almost like nothing had happened.'_ you think to yourself and give him a small squeeze. "You're ready to go home now? Granny Smith is making some apple pie."

"As long as it isn't banana," she grimaced. "It feels like I haven't eaten anything but that for the past week."

You all laugh at her as your little group went through the door and out to the spring sun.

**THE END**


End file.
